In Media Res

Thursday, May 8, 1997

Since the Seattle International Film Festival is starting next week, this seems as good a time as any to start this online journal thing. I'll have the films I see to write about, even if nothing else occurs to me!

I always get a full series pass to the festival. That way I don't have to decide what movies to see ahead of time. It's a real commitment; during the three weeks and one more weekend of the festival I only work and go to the movies. Even at that, I am not the most dedicated film-goer there. I'll probably see around 60 films, but some will see many more. Pass holders can attend the press screenings that start before the offical opening night and continue during the festival, and some folks take time off work to go to these (which are held during the day). I don't know if it is physically possible to see every film, but some people try!

A----- is my festival buddy. He is a social worker whom I met through my sister. He is dead-pan, laconic, reserved, but a really great guy. We meet occasionally during the course of the year, but during the festival we are together almost every day. Sometimes I let him decide which movie to see, and it's also easier to sit where he wants to. He has a stronger preference about theater seats than I do. It's easier to let him sort through the schedule, with movies playing several times at different theaters. A----- is very good about saving seats, which helps with shows that start at five o'clock. I work in Redmond, and if traffic is bad and parking tight near the theater, I might just barely make the show.

A----'s been going to SIFF for years and years. I think I started in 1990, after my parents died.

I moved to Seattle from Virginia to help care for my parents in 1988. I was happy in Virginia, and now I am happy in Seattle! Familiarity counts for a lot with me. It takes me a while to get used to things. I still think of myself as a newcomer to Seattle!

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